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connec t ion
The Mesonet on a Severe
Weather Day
estimates to what is actually occurring in a particular area.
“We get high density radar estimates, but it is just that - just
an estimate,” Speheger said. “Having the actual rainfall
measurements to compare to the radar estimates can help
us gauge how the radar estimates are doing and adjust
them closer to reality. This helps gauge flooding potential
with heavy rainfall from thunderstorms. We can make a
direct comparison in a particular spot to see how the radar
is biased. I think that is an under appreciated aspect of the
Mesonet. It helps us to gauge flood potential.”
Speheger says on a severe storm day, they have the
Oklahoma Mesonet page open in their browsers, and have
Mesonet data fed directly into their primary meteorological
work stations.
“We pull Mesonet data directly into that program to overlay
with other data sources like radar,” Speheger said. “That
allows us to assimilate all these data sources onto one
platform to get a better idea of the bigger picture. We are
so fortunate to have a high quality, high density platform like
the Mesonet in the state. It really helps make forecasting
that much more precise.”
Volume 5 — Issue 5 — May 2014
www.mesonet.org
ON SEVERE WEATHER DAYS, things get very busy at
the Storm Prediction Center, right across the hall from the
Mesonet in the National Weather Center. Doug Speheger,
National Weather Service Meteorologist, sat down to talk
with us about how the Mesonet is used in his office on a
severe weather day.
“There are quite a few ways,” Speheger said. “One of the
main things is to be able to look at high density weather
observations and pinpoint where critical boundaries are, like
the dryline or cold front. We also know where the moisture
is that could help fuel thunderstorms.”
To help get a feel for dryline placement, Speheger says they
are able to look at the Mesonet to see where the wind shift
and gradient is, as well as dewpoint observations.
“Back in the early days, before Mesonet was implemented,
we might have a weather observation in Oklahoma City and
another one in Lawton,” Speheger said. “That is a really
large area to try to specify where the dryline is located. The
high density observations from the Mesonet of wind and
dewpoint help us pin down where storms may develop.”
The NWS also uses the
Mesonet during severe
storms to verify wind
reports. This helps with
the confidence of what the
storm is actually doing,
and also helps warn
people down stream of that
storm what kind of wind to
expect. After the storm,
the severe wind gusts
from the Mesonet are
officially recorded into the
official NWS Storm Data
publication that documents
severe storms.
A third way Speheger said
the Mesonet is used is
to help correlate rainfall
–by Stephanie Bowen

connec t ion
The Mesonet on a Severe
Weather Day
estimates to what is actually occurring in a particular area.
“We get high density radar estimates, but it is just that - just
an estimate,” Speheger said. “Having the actual rainfall
measurements to compare to the radar estimates can help
us gauge how the radar estimates are doing and adjust
them closer to reality. This helps gauge flooding potential
with heavy rainfall from thunderstorms. We can make a
direct comparison in a particular spot to see how the radar
is biased. I think that is an under appreciated aspect of the
Mesonet. It helps us to gauge flood potential.”
Speheger says on a severe storm day, they have the
Oklahoma Mesonet page open in their browsers, and have
Mesonet data fed directly into their primary meteorological
work stations.
“We pull Mesonet data directly into that program to overlay
with other data sources like radar,” Speheger said. “That
allows us to assimilate all these data sources onto one
platform to get a better idea of the bigger picture. We are
so fortunate to have a high quality, high density platform like
the Mesonet in the state. It really helps make forecasting
that much more precise.”
Volume 5 — Issue 5 — May 2014
www.mesonet.org
ON SEVERE WEATHER DAYS, things get very busy at
the Storm Prediction Center, right across the hall from the
Mesonet in the National Weather Center. Doug Speheger,
National Weather Service Meteorologist, sat down to talk
with us about how the Mesonet is used in his office on a
severe weather day.
“There are quite a few ways,” Speheger said. “One of the
main things is to be able to look at high density weather
observations and pinpoint where critical boundaries are, like
the dryline or cold front. We also know where the moisture
is that could help fuel thunderstorms.”
To help get a feel for dryline placement, Speheger says they
are able to look at the Mesonet to see where the wind shift
and gradient is, as well as dewpoint observations.
“Back in the early days, before Mesonet was implemented,
we might have a weather observation in Oklahoma City and
another one in Lawton,” Speheger said. “That is a really
large area to try to specify where the dryline is located. The
high density observations from the Mesonet of wind and
dewpoint help us pin down where storms may develop.”
The NWS also uses the
Mesonet during severe
storms to verify wind
reports. This helps with
the confidence of what the
storm is actually doing,
and also helps warn
people down stream of that
storm what kind of wind to
expect. After the storm,
the severe wind gusts
from the Mesonet are
officially recorded into the
official NWS Storm Data
publication that documents
severe storms.
A third way Speheger said
the Mesonet is used is
to help correlate rainfall
–by Stephanie Bowen